Spanish/Lesson 7

Grammar - Preterite (el pretérito indefinido)
The following table shows the preterite of regular verbs. Regular -er and -ir verbs follow the exact same pattern. Note that the nosotros form is the same as in the present tense for -ar and -ir verbs, so you have to know the context to figure out the time. Also, note that the last letter of comí and viví has an accent mark.

Here is a list of common verbs that have an irregular preterite:

Exercise: Preterite

Grammar - Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto)
The following table shows the imperfect of regular verbs. Note that regular -er and -ir verbs follow the exact same pattern:

There are only three verbs that are irregular in the imperfect:

Grammar - Preterite vs. Imperfect
Spanish has two tenses that correspond to the English simple past. Roughly speaking, the Preterite is used to tell What happened - it refers to a specific event.

The Imperfect is used to tell How things were - it refers to the general situation.

Exercise: Preterite vs. Imperfect